Congratulations Mimmo

MIMMO COZZOLINO, A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE ESA AND OUR NUMERO UNO DESIGNER HAS BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE AUSTRALIAN GRAPHIC DESIGN ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME. We were very proud to see that the visual record included recent issues of the Ephemera Journal of Australia.Epmera Journals of Australia.

HALL OF FAME /MIMMO COZZOLINO

Mimmo (Domenico) Cozzolino (1949–) occupies a unique position within the annals of Australian graphic design. His multi-faceted career has embraced design practice, cultural research and publishing, fine art photography, pedagogy and more.

Mimmo was raised in the town of Herculaneum in the shadows of Mt Vesuvius, immigrating to Australia with his family in 1961. He began an engineering course at Preston Tech before switching to graphic design at the Prahran College of Advanced Education (later Swinburne University). It was at Preston Tech that he first met Con Aslanis, a Greek immigrant who has played a central role in his life, both personally and professionally. Following brief stints working in Sydney (at Monad Marketing with Ricci Eaton), and Melbourne (at NAS Advertising with Eric Maguire) he began freelancing alongside Aslanis.

Cozzolino’s studio collaborations with Aslanis, initially as All Australian Graphics (1972–74), and then the seven person illustration collective All Australian Graffiti (1975–78), resulted in some of the most influential local work of the 1970s. As outsiders, these ‘New Australians’ provided a unique perspective on their adopted country, reflecting inward for inspiration, while many of their colleagues looked to Europe or the US for their reference points. The Kevin Pappas Tear Out Postcard Book, an irreverent look at Australian culture, personified the studio’s output. Published by Penguin in 1977, the book sold 24,000 copies, an incredible success. Phillip Adams summed up their contribution; “in the past immigrants like William Dampier and James Cook had discovered Australia. In the early 1970s, Mimmo and Con discovered it all over again”.

For a brief period between 1980–84 Cozzolino ran a small studio with illustrator David Hughes, before co-founding the idiosyncratically named Cozzolino Ellett Design D’Vision Pty Ltd alongside Phil Ellett. With Cozzolino acting as a design manager and Ellett focused on creative, the studio flourished, attracting a healthy roster of corporate work and winning many awards. In 2001, Cozzolino retired from the business, ready for a fresh challenge.

Cozzolino’s fascination with our culture can be traced back to his childhood in Italy. Awaiting passage to Australia, his father Michele’s stories of ‘canguros’ and laughing birds, sparked an interest he has retained his whole life. This fixation would eventually manifest in a best-selling book, Symbols of Australia, an archive of over 1700 Australian trademarks Cozzolino diligently researched and recorded on an intermittent basis for eight years. First published in 1980, and edited and written with Fysh Rutherford, the book has sold over 45,000 copies. It remains one of the few published documentations of Australian graphic design.

In 2003, Cozzolino reinvented himself as a fine artist, pursuing his long-held interest in documentary photography. Somewhat controversially, he was awarded the Leica/CCP Documentary Photography Award by the Centre for Contemporary Photography for his work Arcadia del Sud: West Heidelberg Melbourne Australia Circa 1966 (2003). The deliberately blurred suburban family snapshots attracted the ire of many traditional documentary photographers who weren’t quite ready to accept their new colleague’s innovative interpretation of their craft.

Cozzolino’s commitment to education stretches back to 1973. He has taught, lectured, supervised, work-shopped and assessed in many leading design schools both here and abroad. Determined to raise the standards of the design profession, he has invested countless hours in industry events and schemes. Most significantly, he was one of the five founding members of AGDA in 1987.

Clearly, having enjoyed such a varied career, Cozzolino is difficult to classify within the limited taxonomy of graphic design. Indeed, his ceaseless examination into what it means to be Australian may ultimately prove to be his greatest legacy.

Mimmo with All Australian Graffiti’s kangaroo folio case. The case was designed by partner Con Aslanis and made by Rob Reid in 1976. Portrait: Tim Handfield, 1976.

Lest We Forget poster, researched and designed by Mimmo in 1976 to promote both All Australian Graffiti and the search for Australian trademarks.

The Kevin Pappas Tear Out Postcard Book (Penguin Books, 1977). The book contained 28 postcards and was both a studio promotion and a salable cultural product. It sold over 24000 copies. The project was coordinated by Mimmo. Cover cushion design and illustration: Tony Ward. Cover photograph: John Street, 1977.

As front man for All Australian Graffiti, Mimmo was also involved in promoting the studio. Here he is wearing a half-kangaroo suit he had sewn to launch The Kevin Pappas Tear Out Postcard Book. Photograph: Rennie Ellis, 1977.

The Australian Book Publishers Association ‘Best designed book of the year award’ for 1980 went to Symbols of Australia. It was a tradition that the winner of this award also design the presentation catalogue, pro-bono. Design and cover photograph: Mimmo Cozzolino, 1981.

Symbols of Australia was first published in 1980 but the idea for the book came to Mimmo in 1970, his final year at art school. Edited and co-written with Fysh Rutherford. Cover illustration: Geoff Cook, 1980.

Avanti! was the first series of Italian language textbooks written and designed specifically for Australian children. The creative team included Elio Guarnuccio, writer and publisher; Michael Sedunary, writer; Mimmo Cozzolino, designer; Neil Curtis, illustrator. The first volume was published in 1982.

Mimmo Cozzolino and friends. Portrait: Elizabeth Gilliam, 1986.

In 1987 W Rankin, S Huxley, R Henderson, T Flett and M Cozzolino kickstarted the concept of an association to represent graphic designers nationally. By the time Arthur Leyden’s First Asia Pacific Design Conference happened in 1988 in Mildura, the idea of “AGDA” was close to becoming a reality. In this photograph designers at the conference show their support for the formation of AGDA. Photographer unknown.

Growing up in Australia: an exhibition of the ephemera of childhood by the Ephemera Society of Australia. Studio: Cozzolino Ellett. Design: Mimmo Cozzolino. Headline hand-lettering: Olivia Cozzolino, age 9. Photography: Mike Rutherford, 1988.

Comments

Glad to read that Mimmo is receiving awards. I had the Growing Up In Australia hanging in my house for 25 years until it fell apart during a housemove. I also remember his cover on a This Australia magazine prompted me to buy every copy in case there was more.

Fantastic to read Mimmo has been honoured and acknowledged for his contribution to graphic design in Australia. I was fortunate to have shared a brief moment or two with Mimmo during his short stay in Sydney. (we both worked at Monad and shared a terrace house 71 London St Enmore) It was enlightening, his quiet considered intellect and analytical approach to design have been overlooked. I loved ‘All Australian Graffiti’ and the ‘Kevin Pappas Tear Out Post Card Book’ and it is a shame that AAG was not taken seriously. I have a nice little collection of Mimmo’s ephemeral works and the Symbols of Australia book is a go to reference book in my Library.

Come to the fairs

Latest Posts

GREETINGS to all EPHEMERISTS
Since the Ephemera Society of Australia was inaugurated in 1987, its members have been actively sharing their passion for collecting ephemera across numerous categories … more

Benefits of membership - 2 journals and 2 newsletters each year; early bird access to the fair; the joy of being part of a society of collectors, so please complete the membership form. When you … more